Analysts have described the Zimbabwean military’s house arrest of President Robert Mugabe, his wife Grace, and other top state officials as a coup d’état, despite military leaders denying that it has usurped the presidency.

“It is definitely a coup, in the sense that there’s been a military intervention in the highest office of the state and state functionaries, such as the public broadcaster have been taken over,” says Liesl Louw-Vaudron, analyst for the Institute of Security Studies.

Situation in Zimbabwe: Have the military taken over government from President Mugabe? Here's the Head of the Armed Forces, Chiwenga reading out a statement after the military took over the national television, ZBC. pic.twitter.com/CmZtsF6T19

Unconfirmed reports indicate that President Mugabe has negotiated for his wife Grace to leave the country to stay in South Africa while he prepares to step down. Press conference slated for tomorrow afternoon.

Soldiers have the president and his presidential guard under siege. Ministers mostly those that belonged to G40 faction headed by the first lady have all been detained. Government offices, parliament and courts sealed.

Meanwhile, a video which was recorded in 1980 when Robert Gabriel Mugabe became the prime minister of Zimbabwe in his very first interview with the British Broadcasting Cooperation (BBC), has emerged online.

Th video shows President Mugabe boasting that he cannot be overthrown by any military coup. He went on to transition from prime minister to president in 1987 and has been ruling the country till date when the military intervened.